Freedom
by BalletDancer14
Summary: Shira has been trapped on Captain Gutt's pirate ship for most of her life, and is still haunted by memories and nightmares. But when the crew captures another "ship" in the water, she meets Diego, who may not only free her from her sea-bound prison, but from her past as well. Will they find freedom together? T because I'm paranoid. Please review!
1. The Beginning

**Hi again! OK, I know I'm supposed to be working on ****Finding out the Future****, but I can explain. *puppy-dog face* Well, to you guys, I'm sure the chapters must look awesome, considering all the positive reviews, (:D) but to me, you've gotta understand that staring at the same thing over and over again every time I'm on the computer just makes it all look very similar. I just thought that if I took a small break from it, I might be able to make the chapters a little more interesting for you guys, and give them more variety. And then I went to see Ice Age Continental Drift yesterday, and I was immediately struck with inspiration. I fell in love with the Diego/Shira pairing, and I decided to start this. Let me know what you think, because I do intend to continue this. ;)**

**Well, here it is!**

**The Beginning**

She sat on the prow of the ship, staring out at the ice-strewn waters that stretched out as far as her eyes could see, which wasn't that far, really, as there was a giant wall of fog that started about a mile out. It didn't do much to improve her mood; she preferred to stare at the sea when there was nothing in the way, just beautiful horizons that gave home to the sunrises and sunsets which she was so careful not to miss each day. When she looked out at the never-ending field of water, it made her feel not so trapped as she really was. It gave her hope. But the wall of fog that was coming ever closer made her feel claustrophobic, and it put her in mind of the fact that she could very well end up being trapped here for the rest of her life. She wondered now why she was sitting here in the first place.

"Shira!"

Oh. That was why.

She turned away reluctantly, and instantly the small, cramped feel of the ship made the current measly mile-long radius of the sea seem ten times bigger than it had seemed before.

Walking slowly up to the captain, she said in a sulking voice, "Yes, Captain Gutt?"

He snarled down to her, "Back to your cabin, now! I won't have you causing any more trouble aboard my ship, especially not as we're about to hit the fog ahead."

Shira rolled her eyes, but tried not to smile at some of the memories of her "troublemaking". "Aye aye, Captain." She felt his menacing stare on her back as she turned and headed to her cabin.

When she reached her small room at last, she collapsed onto her bed (which was merely a blanket on the floor) and sighed despairingly. Closing her eyes, she drifted into a depressing sleep.

"_She's not strong enough!"_

"_No! Please!"_

"_Leave her behind or I'll kill her now!"_

"_NO! Shira, run! RUN, SHIRA!"_

Her eyes snapped open at the sound of frantic scrambling around on the deck. She shook her head, trying to rid herself of the nightmare, but she knew it was no use. No matter how long she tried to forget, they memories still plagued her.

Suddenly the door to her cabin burst open. Captain Gutt's first mate looked at her fiercely. "Captain wants all hands on deck, now!"

"Why?" Shira questioned.

He grinned maliciously. "Another ship's a-comin' this way."

Shira's mind raced. Another ship? Didn't they know that these waters were pirate-infested? They were digging their own watery grave here. Curiosity made her jump to her feet and dash out on deck.

"Load the cannons! Ready the harpoons! We're bringing them in!" Captain Gutt was shouting. By "they" Shira assumed he meant the other ship. She stayed in the shadows, letting everyone else do the work, and tried to go unnoticed. Her curiosity was the only thing that kept her from just going back to her cabin.

The ship was totally engulfed in the fog now. It swirled around them all, and sent shivers up Shira's spine. The whole crew was quiet now, positioned to take the other ship down. Nobody dared to let out a single breath.

Suddenly the harpoons fired, and a thumping sound in the distance told Shira that they'd made a hit. The ropes began slowly pulling them closer. She saw a smile of satisfaction on the Captain's face.

Then, out of the mist, she saw- a block of ice. This thing was so small, it could barely pass for a boat on it's own. But despite this, sitting on it were the strangest assortment of creatures that Shira had ever seen in her life.

**Thanks guys! Please please please please please review! See 'ya. :p**


	2. Something New

**Alrighty, then! Here's the next chapter of Freedom. Please review and let me know what you think!**

**RimahikoLuver****- Thank you so much!**

**Guest(Anonymous)- Thanks! And same here lol ;)**

**Lauren- Thank you! **

**KaylaDestroyer****- Thanks! I was actually worried about Gutt, because he seemed like a hard character for me. I put a little more of him in here for you, let me know what you think!**

**Swiftie In Cloud 9****- Thank you!**

**AquilaTempestas****- Thank you! I also read some of your Ice Age stories, and thought they were really good!**

**Kunfupandalover****- Thanks!**

**And thank you again to all my reviewers! You guys are the best! Here comes chapter 2!**

**Something New**

Shira stared as the ropes pulled the strange group closer to the ship. The rest of the crew was laughing and jeering at them, as they remained still and silent.

They were a small group, four of them, if she counted correctly. A mammoth, two sloths and- a saber. A male saber. Suddenly her instincts took over and she jumped up on the edge of the ship to stand next to the Captain, staring down at the animals. But mostly just the saber. Shira saw him glance at her, then jerk his head around to look again. She stared defiantly at him, and he stared back. For how long their gazes met, she wasn't sure, but then the larger of the two sloths nudged him and spoke something that Shira couldn't hear, and the saber shot him an indignant look. The moment was broken.

Then Captain Gutt spoke. "Well, well, what do we have here?"

"Travelers," the mammoth spoke up. "We, uh, got separated from the rest of our family, and we're trying to find our way back to the mainland."

"Aw, how sweet," the Captain said menacingly. "A quest to reunite with your family. But you should know, these waters are infested." His grin widened. "_Pirate_-infested. Imagine if you'd met them on your journey. Good thing, really, that you met us instead." The crew laughed loudly. Shira kept her face impassive as she noticed the saber stare at her again. Gutt noticed this, and turned to her slowly.

"Isn't it, Shira?" He waited for an answer.

Shira kept her gaze down, and felt the other saber's eyes on her. She waited as long as she dared before answering.

"Very good," she muttered unwillingly.

"Yes, quite," Gutt said, satisfied. He turned back to the animals. "But you see, there is no way back to the mainland from here," he grinned again.

"Yes there is!" Flynn the elephant seal called out helpfully. Shira could feel Gutt's irritation growing.

"All you have to do is sail to Switchback Cove, and the current will sail you back!" he called down to them.

"THERE IS NO WAY BACK!" Gutt roared, then he regained his composure. "Yes, well, you see, we can't simply let you leave without taking you aboard first," he said cunningly. "What kind of hosts would we be?"

"Thanks, but no thanks," the mammoth replied. "The sooner we get to Switchback Cove, the better."

All was silent, then Gutt let out a bloodcurdling laugh. "He thinks they've got a choice!" he said through his laughter. "Because the problem is, you don't." A smile stretched across his face. "Get them."

The crew lunged out, excluding Shira, and began their attack. It was absolute chaos. They threw their knives and weapons in every direction, and Shira found herself feeling thankful that none of the strange animals were injured. But at any rate, the items that were thrown included ropes, and Shira could only watch helplessly as the four of them were tied up and carried to the ship against their will; well, three of them at least. The smallest of the two sloths had her eyes closed and a smile on her face; she seemed to be enjoying it even. Maybe she was crazy. But if Shira tried to free them, Gutt would punish her severely for treason.

Said captain had realized that Shira was doing nothing to help, and immediately made his way to her. Remembering the look on her face as she'd stared at the saber, he told her, "Shira! Help Squint and the others take down the saber!" This made no sense, as the crew members working on the mammoth seemed to need the most help, but this hardly mattered to him.

Shira froze, and tried to keep the anger off her face. She couldn't say no, and Gutt knew it. Reluctantly, she turned and moved slowly over to the first mate, Squint. The saber was already bound tightly with rope, as well as the others.

Shira stared down at him for a moment, and he looked her right in the eye. His eyes were green. _Very _green. She had to shake herself in order to focus. Then, making her decision, she clamped her teeth around the ropes and dragged him across the ice to the prison hold, leaving Squint and the others behind.

He was silent the whole way there. When they reached the door to his solitary cell, she dragged him in, walked out, and shut the door. He looked at her through the bars. "Why are you doing this?"

These were the first words she'd heard him speak. He had a low, husky voice that sent shivers up her spine, but she ignored them. She only turned, and gave him the most honest answer she could.

"Because I have to." Then she walked away, his stare burning into her back.

Thoughts ran through her head like a stampede. There was something about this saber. They'd never met, they'd barely spoken in the brief time they _had _known each other, and she didn't even know his name. There was just something about him. And she wasn't sure if she liked it or not.

She shook her head again. These thoughts were so confusing. She couldn't bear to dwell on the past, and the present was just too mixed up. Shira looked straight ahead, thinking the only stable thing she could rely on was the future, and also thinking that her future wasn't stable at all.

**Please review! **


	3. Thoughts

**Hola, amigos! I'm really sorry for the longer-than-usual wait, I've just been a little busy lately. It's hard sometimes to balance fanfiction in between French lessons, dance classes, and piano lessons, too. I just feel like a need a break sometimes, and I always want to work my hardest to make the chapters the best they can be for you guys. Please forgive me! **

**Also, how many of you have seen the new Ice Age movie yet? What did you think? **

**FYI: This chapter is from Diego's point of view. I just thought he deserved to put some of his thoughts in, too. How did I do with him? Let me know in your reviews!**

**isanimes****- Haha, thank you! Here you go! ;)**

**KaylaDestroyer****- Thank you! And you're welcome. ****J**

**Guest (Anonymous)- Haha, thanks!**

**kunfupandalover- ****Thanks! **

**Anno1701****- Thank you!**

**Guest(Anonymous)- Bueno, yo no podía entenderlo, así que copiar y pegar a Google Translate. XD Lo mismo para esta respuesta, ^ _ ^ así que no estoy seguro si se puede entender esto, porque la gramática puede ser un poco agitado. Sin embargo, gracias! Voy a tratar de poner al día pronto. ;)**

**So, here's the next chapter! **¡**Vamos! ;D**

**-Linebreak-**

**Thoughts**

**Diego POV**

Diego sat in his cell- after trying fruitlessly to free himself of his bonds- and thought. He thought about the strange quake that had split the land, destroyed their home, and separated them from Ellie and Peaches. He thought about Sid's crazy grandmother, always searching for her imaginary or possibly deceased pet "Precious". He thought about the violent storm that they'd somehow survived. He thought about the pirates who'd kidnapped them, and the fact that his friends were most likely all in their own cells on a completely different part of the ship and that all four of them were probably screwed. But on top of all that, he thought about the female saber. Shira.

She was different. Her fur was pure white, and when he'd looked into her eyes he'd seen that they were blue; bright blue. But it wasn't just her appearance that perplexed him.

When their herd's little ice floe had been pulled to the ship, Diego had already been standing in front, waiting and ready for anything that might have come out of the fog. Then they'd actually seen the ship, and had been acquainted with the so-called Captain Gutt. Diego had realized pretty quickly that the pirates would never willingly let them leave.

He was completely focused. Until _she _had appeared and looked down at them.

He'd given her no thought at first. Then he'd done a double-take to look again. A _saber_. A _female _saber. It had been a while since he'd come across another saber, much less a female. He'd stared until Sid had given him a nudge, and a knowing look. Diego had completely disregarded his suggestion, though. She was good-looking, he supposed. But it was her attitude that really got to him. She was very quiet, and it seemed like she kept to herself most of the time. But she had a resentful air about her, too. He remembered when the rest of the crew had laughed along with Gutt, she'd remained silent and sulky, and when Gutt had tried to force a response out of her she'd waited before answering, as if trying to prove that she was independent to some extent.

And when he'd heard Gutt order her to help "take him down", she'd walked over to him, and looked into his eyes. He still couldn't get over how _blue _they were, and these were things he'd never really paid attention to. But when he'd looked at her face, really looked, Diego could tell that she was having a fierce argument in her head, trying to decide what to do. Then she'd shaken her head, seeming to steel herself, and with her teeth, grabbed a hold of his bonds and dragged him across the ship, which in itself had been pretty humiliating.

Then they'd reached the cell, and after tossing him in and locking the door without so much as a glance towards him, she'd turned her back and begun to walk away.

Diego was confused. She gave the impression that she didn't _want _to do any of this, and yet she still did. Why? Why didn't she escape? Of course there was the fact that these pirates probably stayed in the middle of the ocean, but they _had _to stop on land sometime. Why didn't she just run away?

Wanting answers, Diego called out to her, "Why are you doing this?"

Shira froze in her place, as though shocked by his speech. Then she'd turned and said over her shoulder, "Because I have to."

Diego wanted to tell her right then and there that she _didn't _have to, she didn't have to stay here on this boat and work for Gutt, that if she would just help him escape with his friends, she could come with them, and never have to see these pirates again in her life. He didn't know how he knew that every observation he'd made about her was true, he just knew. And he wanted to help her, which surprised him also.

But before he could say any of this, Shira had turned again, and walked out of sight.

And so now he sat there in his cell, and thought. He knew that she wanted to leave this place, he was certain of it, and he knew that right now, she was the only one that could help them. Because frankly, their current position made them pretty much helpless. And he didn't think the others could have made much progress, either.

Diego knew that if he could just talk to Shira, if he could just get her to see that they could help her, then there was a possibility that they could get out of here. He just needed to come up with a plan.

It had been a long time since he'd come across a female saber, and this one was _way _too complicated for his liking.

And yet, strangely, he felt a purr growing in the back of his throat just thinking about it.

**-Linebreak-**

**There you go! Please review!**


	4. Author's Note

**Hi guys. Ok, so school just started, and as some of you may know, it can be very hectic and time-consuming. So unfortunately, I don't think I will be updating this story anytime soon. I apologize to all of you who have been waiting for an update. But when I get back into the swing of things at school, or when I get some free time, I'll try to update. Any stories I post for now will probably only be one-shots or maybe one or two-chapter stories. Sorry guys, I'm just as frustrated as you, but I just really want to focus on school for now. Thanks. **

**BalletDancer14**


	5. The Escape

**YES! I HAVE ACCOMPLISHED ANOTHER CHAPTER!**

**Ok guys, I'm soooooooooo soooooooo sorry for the extremely long wait. I give you all full permission to hate me. **

**Buuuut, on a happier note, THE NEXT CHAPTER HAS BEEN CREATED! I was so happy to finally get this done for you guys, so let me know what you think! I hope I got Diego's character ok, just let me know if you have any suggestions.**

**And once again, thank you to all my reviewers! You guys have no idea how big of a motivation it is for me to write more chapters when I read all of your positive feedback, it just makes my day, seriously. This chapter would probably have not been up for a lot longer if it wasn't for all your reviews, so thank you so much! *hands out virtual hugs.**

**Alright, thanks for sticking with me guys. So here's the next chapter! *wipes sweat off forehead**

**~oOo~**

**The Escape**

**Diego POV **

_Twelve hours. _

They'd been on this giant hunk of ice for _twelve hours_, and Diego hadn't seen a singe living thing since he'd been tossed unceremoniously into his cell by the mysterious female. He was starving, weak, freezing, and he didn't have any idea how the others were doing. Probably not much better. And on top of everything, his "plan" wasn't going down too well.

He _knew _that if he could just talk to Shira, then she could help them get out of there. He just knew. But the fact that he hadn't seen anyone else the entire time he'd been in here kind of prevented him from doing that.

Diego had been planning an elaborate set of phases to go through, to get to her.

Phase One: Trick guard into letting him out by telling him/her that he "had to do his business".

Phase Two: Knock guard unconscious.

Phase Three: Sneak around ship until he found female, and/or some food along the way.

Phase Four: Lure her away from any group of animals and/or get her to a more secluded place.

Phase Five: Convince her to switch sides in this thing and help them get out of there.

Phase Six: Carry out whatever plan they could manage to come up with.

Diego had to admit, it _was _a pretty good plan, even if he did say so himself. He'd been totally confident and pumped, and was feeling an intense secret-agent-mode coming on until he'd remembered-

There were no guards.

This place seemed to be completely devoid of any living things besides himself, and this fact had sent his brilliant plan (and his self-esteem) packing. And he still couldn't get himself untied.

What could he do?

What could Gutt be planning to do to them right now?

He had absolutely no idea.

It was a long time before things started to go his way.

There he was, about three hours later, when suddenly-

BOOM!

The whole ship lurched to one side, sending Diego slamming into the wall… which happened to have a fair few jagged pieces of ice sticking out. He let out a howl of pain.

Then- get this- Diego, still slightly dazed, saw something hurtle towards the bars of his cell. And this something was apparently very heavy, because as soon as it hit the icy bars, the gate was busted open, and into pieces.

Diego stood, finding out that his bonds had been cut apart by the pointy icicles. It took all of his self-control not to jump and whoop for joy. And what was more, the heavy object which had freed him turned out to be a crate of fruit, it's contents spread out on the floor. Never in his life had Diego experienced such a change of fortune in such a small amount of time. It never even occurred to him to wonder why he hadn't thought of cutting his bonds on the ice and busting his way out a long time ago.

His stomach rumbled, and he attacked the fruit in front of him, ravaging it with his teeth. After he'd had his fill, he rose and quickly ran out of the cell, down a long corridor, until he finally came to a corner. Pressing against the wall, he peeked slowly from his hiding place, looking for any signs of life. The secret-agent-mode was coming back on.

He could hear shouting and scrambling around from the deck. Whatever had rammed into the side of the ship had apparently caused a riot.

After a few moment's careful analyzing, he decided to take a risk and run to hide behind a nearby stack of crates. This would allow him to see what was going on, but he'd be completely exposed for about 10 feet. Diego took a breath, prayed that no one happened to be looking in his direction, and ran.

He made it to the crates without being spotted, and let out a sigh of relief. Carefully, he rose his head above the stack just enough so he could see onto the deck, looking around for that flash of white. What he saw made an angry growl begin deep in his throat, which he didn't wonder about until later.

Gutt was standing over Shira, who appeared to have been shoved into the ground by the captain, brandishing a sword in one hand. He had a look of fury on his face, and was shouting something at her, but Diego couldn't make it out from his hiding place because of the crew's shouting orders to one another.

Should he run out and rescue her? He wasn't sure how well that would work out; he was all on his own against a whole crew of pirates. He wasn't sure how well Shira would take to being saved either; she seemed like that type. And he couldn't be sure if she would be on his side or not until he talked to her- what if she turned against him?

Diego saw another pile of crates even closer to the deck, and was steeling himself to run for them, when suddenly the entire ship was engulfed in shadow. Diego, and the rest of the crew, froze in their spots, staring at the obvious cause of the sudden darkness. He knew now what had lurched the ship before.

A whale, an enormous, gigantic, very real _whale_, was rearing slowly up out of the water over the ship, and began to fall towards the deck, with the apparent intension of throwing itself onto the hunk of ice.

It took a moment for everyone to come out of their trances, but after what seemed like an eternity, they all began screaming and running towards the other side of the ship, which unfortunately happened to be where Diego was hiding.

He didn't give this much thought though. Like everyone else, he began running for his life as the body of the creature slammed into the ship, shaking him to the bone, and thanks to the confusion, no one seemed to notice his sudden appearance amongst them. Maybe he could find Shira in this mess and get her away without anyone noticing. But then a scream pushed this thought from his mind.

He looked around frantically for the source, and to his horror, his eyes landed on the sight of Shira, hanging on to the ship for dear life as great chunks of the ice crumbled away into the sea- she hadn't been able to get away fast enough, and the ship was slowly falling apart under her.

As Shira's only hold on the ship began to break off, their eyes met briefly.

Without thinking, without even stopping to consider his actions, Diego burst forth from the crowd and ran to her, looking over the edge of the ice at her wide eyes.

Before he could do anything more he heard Gutt's scream of fury. He didn't have much time.

"Hold on to me!" he yelled to her, holding out his paw as far as it would go.

She grimaced as she tried desperately to keep her grip, but didn't move to accept the gesture.

"Why should I trust you?" she yelled back.

Diego remembered when Manny had once asked him the same question, and he called back the same response he'd given his friend so long ago.

"Because I'm your only chance!"

She seemed to be having some violent internal struggle at his words, but kept her eyes on his. Diego, his paw still outstretched, tried to push the horrible image of Shira falling to a watery death from his mind.

But before she could come to a decision, Diego heard more shouts behind him.

"Here, Precious!"

"Diego, get out of the way!"

"Get them you fools!"

He whipped his head around and saw Manny, carrying Sid and Granny on his back and running faster than Diego had ever seen him run in his direction, Gutt and the rest of the crew not far behind him. He heard Manny's voice scream the words,

"Diego, jump!"

Before he could understand what was going on, Diego was suddenly drenched in water from behind, and turned to see the whale skimming the surface of the sea, its back sticking out of the water.

Finally grasping the situation, he yelled down to Shira, "Let go!"

"Are you crazy?!" she gasped as the ice gave another tremendous crack.

"Maybe!" Diego responded. There was another crack. They were out of time. "Just trust me! Please!"

Shira seemed to be steeling herself to do the worst. She closed her eyes, and let go of the ice just as Manny plowed into Diego and they went hurtling over the edge after her.

Diego was lost in a sea of confused screaming and shouting. Vaguely, he heard Gutt's shouts of fury and then the voice of Sid's crazy Granny- "Come on, Precious! Giddy up!" The whale underneath them gave a snort from its blow hole, drenching them all once again, and shot forward through the water, slowly at first, then gaining speed. They all finally got their footing on the slick skin of the creature, and turned as they sped away from the sinking pirate ship, Gutt's screams ringing in their ears.

**~oOo~**

**Wellll, what do you think? Good? Bad? Problems questions comments solutions? Let me know in a review! **

**I'll try to get another chapter up as soon as I can- now that dance is over I have a lot more time to write. Thanks guys!**


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